Paint brush cleaner



United States Patent 3,393,412 PAINT BRUSH CLEANER Samuel Wrbican, 906 Grant St., Creighton, Pa. 15030 Filed Sept. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 485,480 2 Claims. (Cl. 151) The present invention relates to cleaning and renovating paint brushes, the bristles of which have been hardened and adhered together by dried paint. More specifically the invention pertains to a novel form of holder and brush bristles penetrating and separating means including soaking of the bristles in a suitable solvent and collection of the removed pigment.

One object of the invention is to provide a unitary means for removing hardened paint from brush bristles, providing for soaking and storage of the brushes and collection of the precipitated paint pigments from the main body of the paint solvent.

These and other objects of the invention will be made apparent from the following description and the drawing forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows in front elevation the holder adapted for soaking and cleaning hardened paint from the brush bristles;

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the holder of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows a side elevation of the holder of FIG. 1 disposed within any suitable container for retaining the solvent.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the holder indicated generally at 1 may be of any suitable shape, preferably of a width not less than the width of the largest brush to be freely received therein for free vertical reciprocal motion and of a thickness not less than twice the thickness of a brush P to be soaked and cleaned therein. The body 2 of the holder may be formed of any suitable material, such as a relatively fine mesh metal wire screen, of rectangular shape which is closed at the bottom thereof by a rigid imperforate plate 3 of substantial thickness to which the base of the metal screen is attached and extends upwardly therefrom. Surrounding the top of the screen body 2 and attached thereto is a rigid, preferably metal, substantially rectangular band 4. Attached to band 4 is a suitable handle member 5 extending upwardly for lifting the holder as hereinafter described. Suitably secured in bottom plate 3 are a plurality of longitudinally and transversely spaced upwardly extending brush bristle penetrating members, referred to herein as needles 6. Such needles 6 have a vertical length above the holder base plate substantially that of the effective length of the brush bristles. Such needles 6 may be plain cylindrical members or may be provided with suitably shaped spurs or barbs 7 spaced longitudinally of the length of the needles. These needles 6, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, are spaced along the length of bottom plate 3 and also for a portion of the width of plate 3. The remaining portion of the width of plate 3, not provided with needles 6, .is defined by the member 5 to provide a brush storage space 8 for soaking the hardened br-ush bristles prior to cleaning over the needles 6 and also for storage of a cleaned brush. The holder, indicated generally as 1, is receivable within a suitable open-top container 9 provided with imperforate side, end and bottom walls for retaining a paint solvent employed in cleaning the brush bristles.

Referring now to use of the hereinbefore described device, the holder 1 is disposed within a suitable container 3,393,412 Patented July 23, 1968 "ice 9 and a suitable paint solvent S is placed in container 9 to a suitable depth and surrounding the needles 6. A paint brush P whose bristles are filled with hardened paint is placed in holder 1 at the side thereof not provided with needles 6 for initially soaking and softening the paint within said brush bristles. If the paint within the brush bristles is quite hard, it will expedite access of the solvent if the brush bristles are pressed firmly over the needles 6 several times to partially separate the bristles for access thereto of the solvent. After a suitable period, or when the imbedded paint is softened, the paint brush is removed from the storage position and moved over the needles 6 with a suitable vertical reciprocal motion to effect penetration of the brush bristles by the needles 6. Such reciprocal motion is continued until such time as the needles '6 penetrate the full length of the brush bristles for spreading the bristles and effecting the removal of the solvent softened paint.

During the aforementioned manual manipulation of the brush bristles over the penetrating needles 6, the fine mesh screen walls 2 of the holder retain the removed paint particles, while permitting the excess solvent surrounding the .holder to freely circulate therethrough. After the brush bristles have been cleaned of the paint, previously embedded therein, the brush is withdrawn and the holder is permitted to remain in the container 9 for a sufficient period of time to permit paint particles suspended in the solvent within the holder, to fall to the holder bottom plate 3. Thereafter the holder may be removed from the container and solvent therein, and the holder cleaned of the deposited paint. Thereafter the holder may be returned to the container and solvent for storage of cleaned brushes therein or further cleaning of other brushes. In this manner a major portion of the paint solvent in the container can be saved for reuse.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning hardened paint from paint brush bristles, comprising means defining a holder of a size to freely receive a paint brush for vertical reciprocal movement therein and to receive a paint solvent for immersion therein of the full length of said brush bristles,

a substantially rigid base on said holder provided with a plurality of transversely spaced longitudinally extending rows of upwardly extending brush penetrating needle-like members of a length substantially that of the brush bristles, and

suitable barbs spaced longitudinally of the length of said needle-like members for expediting removal of the softened paint from the brush bristles.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the said holder is provided with perforate side and end walls and is disposed within a suitable imperforate walled container larger in size than the holder for retention of the paint solvent.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,285,948 11/1918 Cook 151 1,491,608 4/1924 Kaiser 15142 1,818,293 8/1931 Bialas 15104 2,724,856 11/1955 Conkey 15142 X 2,789,297 4/1957 Barr 15264 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

L. G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING HARDENED PAINT FROM PAINT BRUSH BRISTLES, COMPRISING MEANS DEFINING A HOLDER OF A SIZE TO FREELY RECEIVE A PAINT BUSH FOR VERTICAL RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT THEREIN AND TO RECEIVE A PAINT SOLVENT FOR IMMERSION THEREIN OF THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID BRUSH BRISTLES, A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID BASE ON SAID HOLDER PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ROWS OF UPWARDLY EXTENDING BRUSH PENETRATING NEEDLE-LIKE MEMBERS OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY THAT OF THE BRUSH BRISTLES, AND 